The Alternative
by SchadenFreude95
Summary: The arrival of Impulse changed the outcome of the alien invasion, but for Morgan and Dick, how did things pan out in the reality he left behind? This short story follows the timeline Impulse hinted at in FitN. Written to celebrate the one year anniversary of Feathers in the Night.
1. Chapter 1

Really, the moment she turned around and saw Scarecrow plunge that needle into Nightwing's neck, Morgan had known in the very deepest part of her soul, body and mind that this was it; this was the beginning of the end.

And she'd been right. After fighting off the rest of his henchmen, shaking badly as she watched her mentor, her strong, unbreakable mentor, unravel with fear in front of her eyes, she'd somehow managed to get him back to the HQ. M'gann and Connor had whisked him off to the Watchtower, and Morgan didn't get to see him for months to come. She turned nineteen while he was asleep, and she remembered that the Team had made an effort to celebrate the day, even though most were in mourning over Kaldur and Artemis. She remembered how his absence had felt like a constant ache in her chest, her newly developed feelings for him only making things worse.

When she saw him again, months had passed, Blue Beetle was lost to them, and Savage had taken possession of the War World.

He was frail looking. Months in a coma had reduced his muscle mass to practically nothing, and his eyes were tired, the live glint in them dulled, almost completely gone. He was still their leader, but it would take him months before he could go on any missions himself. For the first couple of weeks, he could barely walk on his own.

She quickly volunteered to be his helper. Morgan cut down on her training with Black Canary, quit school and barely went on any missions, devoting most of her time to making sure Dick was okay. She decided it made sense that it was her. She was the least experienced member of the Team and thus the most expendable. They couldn't afford to let anyone else stay behind to look after their broken team leader.

He was closed-off in the beginning. Morgan remembered thinking he wasn't very talkative back when they'd gotten to know each other. Well, now he barely said two words to her. She knew he was ashamed, in a way, to be in the state he was in. To be weak, dependent on others for the simplest of things. It took her a week to convince him to let her move semi-permanently into his apartment so she could help him more efficiently. He was still weak, still in need of someone to help him in his everyday life. She reasoned that he'd taken such good care of her in the beginning of her time with the Team – she owed it to him to return the favor. And even if she didn't owe him, she would've still done it.

He allowed it eventually, and on the first night she stayed over, she realized why he hadn't wanted her there. The strangled scream woke her up in the middle of the night and she'd dashed to his room to find his thin frame sitting up in bed, shaking and gulping down air until he almost hyperventilated. His eyes were haunted as they dashed around his room, looking for the monsters his dreams had cooked up. He admitted that night that the fear toxin had done more damage than they realized – his coma hadn't been peaceful. Every day, for months, while he lay unconscious, he had witnessed unspeakable horrors, over and over, with no way of waking up.

He cried, and so did she, because it hurt so much to watch him, the man she was starting to fall in love with, become nothing but a shadow of himself. She couldn't help but notice after that night, how, if left alone, his face turned haggard, his eyes looking haunted.

But Dick was strong. And with her help, with the Team's help, he regained his former strength. After months of recovery, he eventually cut the same imposing figure as he'd done before his coma. His eyes never fully regained their sparkle, but his body got strong, his mind resolute. He was determined, more than ever, to defeat the Light and the Reach, to rid his home of this plague. He admitted to her at one point that working on defeating their enemy made him feel like he was reclaiming himself. Like the four months in a coma stopped mattering when he focused wholly on this task he had been given.

And after another four months of Morgan never straying far from his side, Dick kissed her for the first time. They had spent too much time together, she had spent too many nights in his bed, letting his shivering form hold onto her as he fought through his nightmares, for it to never happen. And he knew he loved her, loved her more than he'd ever loved anyone before. She helped him regain himself and he owed her so much, but Dick suspected he would've loved her even if that hadn't been the case.

Ironically, it was as if the better he got, the worse their situation became. After he fell into a coma, it had only taking their enemies a few months to discover that Kaldur and Tigress were double agents. The two heroes were executed, and the act was recorded and broadcasted across the globe, sending a clear message: The Light and Reach were taking over. Every time the Team took a step forward, their enemies took five. And eight months after Dick woke up from his coma, the next hero lost their life in the line of duty.

The death of Green Arrow hit them all hard, but Black Canary hardest of all. Nobody had seen it coming. Despite knowing he was purely human, the optimistic archer had always seemed invincible. And the fact that his death came by the hands of Blue Beetle only made things worse.

Jaime was dead. As soon as the Reach had gotten Blue Beetle back, they'd killed the young man and fused his Beetle with Bane. The new Blue Beetle was huge, scarier than even Black Beetle, ruthless and _strong_. Every time he showed up, the heroes came back bruised and utterly beaten. Several of them had come close to death, and the Watchtower's infirmary seemed permanently busy. They should've known it was only a matter of time before he killed one of them.

Months passed without another incident, and somehow, in the middle of war and death and sorrow, two young hearts grew ever closer. Morgan couldn't remember a time as bitter sweet as her nineteenth year. Every day was a new fight, a new loss, a new heartache. But then she'd come home and Dick would arrive too, and they'd eat dinner together in their small kitchen, and things would briefly seem almost okay. Some nights they would simply curl up in each others arms and pretend the world they lived in wasn't burning, but most nights, they made love. They loved deeply and passionately, relishing in the ability to _forget_ , if only for a moment. And in that small bedroom, they found the happiness the world sought to deny them.

The next hero to fall was Zatanna. Doctor fate lost it then and accidentally obliterated half of Metropolis in his attempt to kill Black Beetle for that. His actions killed millions of people. The incident caused more people to go against the heroes, and soon it seemed as if an all-out civil war was going on. As more and more fights between the heroes and the Reach rocked the planet, people became forced to pick a side. And if someone happened to disagree with another's stance.. In a world as broken as they lived in, nobody cared much for diplomacy.

That same week, Morgan first noticed that something was different. She started noting her mood swings and the fact that she couldn't stand the smell of bacon. The sudden nausea and cravings. She counted the dates and realized with a frantic heart that her period was weeks late. With a panicked mind and shaking hands, she'd dashed to the nearest pharmacy and bought every single kind of pregnancy test it had to offer.

The middle aged lady behind the counter looked at her with quiet sympathy as she rung up her purchase, seeing the way the younger woman's wide eyes darted back and forth, terrified. She understood. With the war and alien invasion currently going on, nobody wanted to start a family. Nobody could afford an unwanted pregnancy.

The lady didn't understand how little Morgan could afford it compared to the normal citizen. She couldn't know that the young woman with the wild curls and panicked eyes were a superhero, that she was more at risk than any other customer she'd served that day.

Morgan rushed home to their apartment after that, locking herself up in the bathroom for two hours. At first, she was too scared to actually pee on the small plastic stick. She drank at least a gallon of water before she succeeded, and then she used five different tests to make sure she wouldn't have to do it more than once. She let the small sticks wait for her on the sink as she took a long bath, feeling uncomfortable and wrong in her own skin. Too scared to look at the stick – _please god, please tell me I'm not.. I can't. Please, please, please, no no nonono –_ she spent an hour in the shower before the water grew cold and she forced herself to get out.

Drying herself off slowly, her mind screaming at her to look at the tests, but also to throw all of them out and ignore them, pretend they weren't there, that there was nothing to worry about, that she wasn't..

When she looked, her heart plummeted into her feet and tears sprang forth, blurring her vision so fast she didn't even get to see the result of the fifth test.

She didn't need to. One positive test could be a mistake. Two could be a happy coincidence.

But three?

Four?

No, four tests didn't lie. And they all proclaimed the same, terror inducing truth.

She was pregnant.

Dick came home hours later to find Morgan's jacket and handbag strewn across the floor, leading straight to their bedroom. The door to the bathroom was locked and the silence in the entire apartment set him on edge as he approached it and knocked twice.

"Morgan?" He asked cautiously, not entirely sure why he was so on edge all of a sudden. There was no answer, so he tried again. "Baby? You okay?"

He called her baby, hoping it would get a reaction out of her, as Morgan hated the term of endearment more than any other.

" _I'm twenty years old, Dick. I'm not a baby, so knock it off."_ She'd usually retort and the proceed to punch him halfheartedly in the shoulder.

This time, however, all he got was a short moment of silence and then the sound of shuffling before the door unlocked. He was taken aback when she emerged. With blotchy cheeks, swollen eyes and black mascara hastily being wiped off her face, it was clear as day that she'd been crying. He took an instinctual step towards her and Morgan's eyes widened in a short panic as she stepped up to fully block the door to the bathroom, holding out a hand to stop him.

"Don't come in here." She pressed her hand to his chest and took a step forward. "Just.. stay there please."

"Morgs, what's wrong? What happened?" He demanded, his heart doing worried flip-flops in his chest. He was immediately afraid that someone new had died and he just hadn't been told yet because he had left the Watchtower an hour ago and went for a walk instead of going straight home. He'd picked up dinner for the two of them too, but looking at her face now, he realized the pizza would probably get cold before they had a chance to eat it.

She seemed to ignore him, walking past his form to pace the length of their very small bedroom. Pausing, she looked up at him, a struggle behind her eyes.

"Dick.. I-" She bit into her bottom lip and looked away, wrapping her arms around herself in discomfort.

"Morgs, you're starting to scare me." He lied. She wasn't _starting_ to scare him. He approached and placed his hands on her shoulders, letting them slide down to hold onto her forearms gently. She was looking out the small window, the sunset coloring her face and hair a golden red. Her eyes were faraway, seeing the future of the small family they hadn't known they were creating.

His deep sigh made her look back at him and Dick took a small step closer, squeezing her arms slightly in comfort. "Talk to me."

Her eyes softened, taking on an edge of sympathy he didn't understand fully. He had no way of knowing that he was asking her to completely flip his world upside down with a single sentence.

"Dick, I'm.. I'm pregnant."

It took him several seconds to fully understand what she was saying, and when he did, he felt like somebody had pulled a rug out from under his brain, sending it sprawling down a set of long, steep stairs.

Drawing in a shuddering breath, he took a step back. Reaching a hand out behind him, he made to locate the bed so he could sit on it, but he miscalculated and slid right off the edge, landing painfully and ungracefully on the floor.

Morgan almost looked like she wanted to smile at the clumsy display, but the look of befuddled shock on his face wiped it away. He was staring at her from the floor, his gaze switching between her face and her stomach, as if expecting it to grow large right then and there.

"Shit." He couldn't think of anything else to say, and at the moment he felt like the word covered his basics pretty well.

Morgan looked terrified, and with a painful clench of his heart, he realized the fear was directed at him, as if she expected him to get angry or tell her to leave.

Swallowing a lump that seemed to hinder his breathing, Dick reached out his hand, feeling like he would explode if he didn't get to hold her right then and there.

Morgan approached and slid into his embrace, her legs curled up underneath her as she rested her head against his chest, her wild curls tickling his chin.

"I don't know what to do." She admitted in a small voice that was so unlike her.

" _We."_ He immediately corrected her. "This-this is on both of us. Both our responsibility."

She took in a deep breath and Dick felt all tension leave her body as he wrapped his arms around her frame. He ran a hand over her hair, picking at the curled ends. A few months ago, she'd cut it shorter than before, the curly mass barely reaching her shoulders anymore. She claimed she didn't like the idea of a long handle for their opponents to grab onto when she fought them. Dick missed the long hair, but he could understand the practicality behind it. He'd gotten his own hair cut shorter too, tired of the long strands hanging limply in his eyes when he failed time and again to find the time to style it.

They sat for what felt like an eternity. Dick wasn't sure how much time passed, only that his butt had gone numb from the hard wooden floor before either spoke up again.

"We need to start planning. You can't go on missions anymore. And we need to find a doctor we can trust. And-"

"Dick."

He paused what had probably been the beginning of a very long ramble, looking down at her as her silver grey peered up at him.

Taking in a deep breath, he forced his mind to stop reeling. "Sorry." He said sheepishly, earning himself a small smile.

They fell into silence again and Dick found his thoughts taking a different turn from his frantic worrying.

"We're going to have a baby." He mumbled in dumbfounded awe, feeling like he only then truly understood what this meant. "We're.. we're actually going to have a baby."

He was going to be a father.

Morgan choked back something between a laugh and a sob and turned shiny eyes at him. "You're going to be a dad."

He swore his heart somehow soared and plummeted at the same time. He'd created a new life with Morgan. They had made something out of love for each other. This new being was going to be a mesh of them. Their DNA, their looks. It was going to be the living proof of their union. He wasn't sure he could imagine anything more beautiful.

But how could he be excited? How could he look forward to bringing a child into a world as broken and wrong as this one? A world that killed and fought and betrayed. A world where good people died every day and evil had been allowed to take over.

No, bringing a child, on purpose or not, into such a world was wrong.

On the other hand, how could he _not_ be excited? The timing was terrible, but he still refused to think of this new life as anything but a blessing. This was _his_ child. Morgan's child. _Their_ child.

"How far along are you?" He asked next, not sure what else to say. His feelings were too conflicted to get across – he was terrified yet excited, panicked but determined.

Morgan shrugged slightly. "Two months, I think. Somewhere along those lines."

Two months. They'd have a baby in seven months. They were barely out of their teenage years, and they would already be parents.

"Oh my god," He felt the panic and terror most at that moment, drowning out the positive feelings he'd experienced a minute ago. "What are we going to do?"

Morgan clutched at his shirt where she sat and it took him a few moments before he noticed the new dampness on his chest.

She was crying.

And with a start, he realized that so was he. Tears were gathering in the corners of his eyes and before he could dry them out with sheer force of will, they were falling freely, running down his cheeks and into Morgan's hair as he tugged her closer and rested his chin on the crown of her head.

They sat on the floor of their bedroom for hours before the wood became too hard and Dick migrated them to the bed instead. Here, the young couple lay in each others arms all night, neither getting any sleep as they shifted between fear and joy, tears often coaxed out of them as they tried to wrap their minds around this new turn of events.

When dawn broke through the thick cloud layer the next morning, Dick still lay, staring at the ceiling. Morgan had fallen asleep some hours ago, but she was almost awake now as well, shifting between snoozing and staring out the window at the pink skies.

"Marry me." Dick said once she'd been awake for over half an hour.

Morgan's eyes never strayed from the colorful clouds beyond their window, but her body stiffened and her heart picked up speed. A minute passed.

The arm he had wrapped around her tightened and he moved to sit up, pulling her smaller body with him. She finally removed her gaze from the window, giving him a look that was oddly blank for her usually expressive face.

"Morgan," he said her name though he already had her full attention, "marry me."

"Dick-" she began, frowning thoughtfully at him. "I'm not going to let you marry me out of some misplaced sense of obligation."

Dick furrowed his brows at her and shuffled closer, capturing her cheek in his battle-roughened hand. "You're an idiot." He eventually responded in a deadpan voice.

Morgan drew back. "Well, that's not a very nice thing to say to the person you just proposed to." He wasn't sure if she was joking or not.

"Well, it's true!" He responded, sounding indignant as he willed her to understand how serious he was. He'd been thinking it over in his head for hours while she slept, slowly coming to the realization that, really, the only reason a wedding was a bad idea was the war – and he wasn't going to let an alien invasion stop him. Not with this.

"Morgan, I'm not asking you to marry me because I feel like I have to, I'm asking you because I _want_ to marry you."

It was as if she understood only then that he was completely serious, and for a moment she looked angry. Then she looked sad. "Is this because of Zatanna? I know she was your girlfriend a few years ago and that her death hit you hard but-"

"Are you being serious right now?" He let out an exasperated huff of air, realizing that she seemed to be grasping at any solution to why he'd want to marry her other than him _asking because he loved her._ "Morgan why does the idea of me wanting to marry you for no other reason than the fact that I _love you_ baffle you?

"Because it's insane! Are you completely off your rocker?" She demanded, sitting up fully on the bed, cross-legged across from him. "How is this a good idea? Getting married in the middle of a war – which we are on the frontlines of – is insane!"

"That's _exactly_ why it's a good idea!" He straightened too, reaching forward to grasp her hands, which were clenched into fists in her lap. "Morgan, I _love_ you. But I can't guarantee that we'll both survive this crisis. I've known for months now that I want to marry you some day, and I had hoped that it could wait until after the war, but I can't promise you that I'll be alive when it's over. I can't be sure _you_ will be alive in a few years." Dick swallowed down a lump as he forced both of them to face the truth, no matter how scary it was. Morgan's eyes were glassy again, but her face gave him no clue if she agreed with him or not, and distantly, his heart began to feel the stinging sensation of an incoming rejection. "So I don't want to wait. I want to commit myself to you fully. And I hoped you felt the same way."

"I do.." Morgan admitted, biting into her bottom lip, looking pained as she spoke. "But Dick.. marriage? That's a big commitment. Are you sure we're ready for that?"

He cracked a smile, the move almost feeling foreign after the long night. "We're already going to have a kid together – how much more committed do you get?"

Morgan smiled lopsidedly too, letting out a huff of breath that sounded like a chuckle. "I suppose if we're going be stupid and reckless, we might as well do it a hundred percent."

Dick scooted closer, bending down to brush his lips teasingly against hers, a move he now knew drove her crazy. "So is that a yes?"

"You're an idiot." She grumbled good naturedly. "but yes."

He placed his lips fully over hers then, his hand cradling the side of her face, long fingers digging into her hair.

Once they pulled back, Morgan's eyes were shiny; from tears or happiness, he wasn't sure.

"So, where's the ring?" She teased with a smile, but Dick saw the slight wobble of her lips, and he knew – she was terrified.

He could understand. He was terrified too. But with the life they were currently leading, he couldn't afford to wait. Maybe if things had been different – if there hadn't been a war and he hadn't gotten her pregnant – he would've acted differently. They would stayed boyfriend and girlfriend for a few years and then, when the time was right, he'd propose – he didn't doubt that he would've proposed to her at some point, no matter what circumstance they lived in. and he would've done it properly, not like this, not after a sleepless night filled with tears and fear. Not with a hypothetical death sentence hanging over both of their heads.

"Sorry," he adopted a teasing tone to cover up his own fear, an attempt at lifting her spirit though he was pretty sure she could see through it, "didn't have the chance to buy one as I spontaneously decided to propose in the middle of the night."

"Well, I guess you'll just have to-"

Dick's cellphone started buzzing in the pocket of his discarded jacket, cutting Morgan off.

They shared a look, both already knowing what this was about as Dick got up on his knees and picked his jacket off of the floor, digging out his phone.

"This is Dick," he announced shortly.

"We've got a lead on Blue Beetle." Black Canary answered without an introduction, and Dick was already out of bed and heading for their closet.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." Dick ended the call and tossed his phone onto their bed as he pulled out his Nightwing uniform.

"What's happening?" Morgan demanded, getting up as well, ready to don her own uniform if needed.

"Black Canary has a lead on Blue." He responded, pulling his shirt over his head in one fluid motion before heading for his belt buckle.

Morgan nodded, her lips pushed together in a grim line, "give me a minute and I'll be ready."

Fear spiked in Dick's heart for a second. "No!" His sharp tone halted her as she headed for the closet in her search for her Sparrow suit. He grabbed her arm, making sure his hold was gentle, fixing her with his most wide-eyed yet insistent look, hoping it would sway her as it usually did. "Morgan – you're pregnant. You can't go. Not anymore."

She narrowed her eyes at him and grabbed hold of his wrist, and he let her remove his hand from her arm. "Dick, I can't stay back now. We've got a responsibility to take care of this world – I can't let you guys go on without me. That would be too selfish."

"Don't be stupid!" He groaned, running a hand through his hair with his agitation. "You only want to go because you feel like you need to prove yourself and because you don't like feeling left out. Morgan, you're not just responsible for your own safety anymore – to be selfish would be to go out and endanger the life of your unborn child just to prove yourself!"

The words were harsh, but he meant them. He knew they would hurt, but if it got her to stay behind – stay _safe_ – then it would absolutely be worth it.

Morgan gaped at him for a shocked moment and then her face hardened as she delivered a stinging slap to his cheek.

"You ass!" She exclaimed letting out a frustrated shriek, the only sound she could think of to properly explain her current ire. "Staying behind to protect one life, when my help could save several others – that's the selfish thing to do!" She took a step back and regarded him with a look that bordered on disgust, but mostly looked like disbelief. The look stung worse than the slap to his face had. "This is _exactly_ why I almost didn't tell you. I _knew_ you would do this – try to make me stay behind when we _both_ know that the League can't afford to lose a single hero right now. I can't stay behind when _my_ world – the world my child is going to grow up in – is in danger of losing itself to evil every day."

Dick pressed his lips together and glared at their feet, fear quickening the pace of his heart just as he knew she was absolutely right.

"You're right.." He admitted, sighing harshly. "But I can't do this right now – the news of the pregnancy is still too fresh. I – I can't let you right now. Not yet. Please, Morgan," he reached for her again, sighing with relief when she didn't pull away, "please, just this once.. just today. Please _please_ stay behind."

"Dick, there's no wa-"

He cut her off with a fierce kiss, entwining their fingers as his other hand caressed her jaw, guiding her lips against his.

"Please, Morgan." As he placed his forehead against hers, he decided he wasn't above begging, not this one time. "Just this once, stay behind. For me."

Her frustrated sigh calmed his heart and he knew she'd give in.

"Fine." She grumbled and he pulled her close to his chest so she couldn't see his relieved smile.

"Thank you."

He donned his suit and kissed her one last time before heading out the window and into the early morning.

* * *

I'd really only meant for this to be a oneshot, but once I realized it would get WAY LONGER THAN THAT, I decided to post the first 'chapter' now. I'm not sure how long this story will get or when I'll post the next chapter, so yeah. Join on this emotionally rippling journey.

Also, hi! If you've stumbled upon this story and is currently really confused bc you have no idea what Feathers in the Night is, I'd like to welcome you and explain a little bit. Feathers in the Night is my other fanfic and since my readers are faithful and awesome and I can't bring myself to let these two characters go, I decided to write this short story.


	2. Chapter 2

He came back hours later with nothing but a badly bruised shoulder blade to show for it. The lead had been a dead end – Blue Beetle may have been there at some point, but all that had greeted the group was a small army of Reach soldiers. They'd fought for a long time, but eventually the heroes had won, thankfully with only minor injuries.

Morgan soothed and tended to his shoulder and they curled up in bed again, ignoring the rest of the world for as long as they were able. Dick wanted to argue more about her staying behind from now on, but he wanted to hold her peacefully in his arms even more, so that urge won out in the end.

They argued that next morning though. Morgan reminded him that they needed all the help they could get. She reminded him that she might as well try to help them succeed, because if they failed there wouldn't be a world for their child to grow up in. This was all or nothing.

And he knew she was right – as the leader of the Team, he couldn't afford to be selfish. He couldn't play favorites. He had to let her go, not matter how much it hurt each time. It was like a stab to the chest every time he reluctantly assigned her a mission, a punch to the gut every time her form disappeared into the bright light of the zeta tube, with no guarantee that she'd be back.

Dick missed Bruce more bitterly than ever before in those first weeks. The two of them hadn't told anyone on the Team or the League yet – somehow, they both lacked the courage even though they knew it had to be done eventually.

So he missed Bruce. He missed his dad. He would've known what to do.

"Dick?"

He blinked himself out of his whirlpool of thoughts and turned to Wally. The other man was standing a pace from where Dick was sitting. He'd trying to think about anything but the dealings of the group he'd just sent on a mission. Morgan was with them. In his effort to distract himself, he'd tried to figure out some sort of pattern between all the Reach's attacks and movements, hoping to somehow crack a code that could miraculously help them beat the alien group.

Not that he'd succeeded. Neither in distracting himself or finding a pattern.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked if you were okay." Wally asked carefully, studying his best friend. "You've been weird the past few weeks."

Dick sighed and shook his head, running a hand through his hair. He knew they'd all noticed. They'd all noticed that he'd suddenly starting kissing Morgan deeply and sternly telling her to take proper care each time he let her go. They had seen that he hugged her much tighter whenever she came back now than he'd done in the past. They saw the terrified look in his eye when he assigned missions and waited for the squads to come back. They knew something had shifted between their leader and his girlfriend. They saw that Morgan seemed more afraid than before. They saw that she whispered reassuring words in Dick's ear even as her eyes shifted across the room with a haunted look in them.

He knew he'd have to let them know at some point.

"Morgan's pregnant." He said blankly, slumping back in his chair, feeling more exhausted than ever before.

There was tense silence for a long time and he chanced a look at Wally.

"Wow." The ginger said.

Dick nodded and ran a hand through his hair again, leaning against the table with his face behind his hands. His heart started hammering in his chest, worried about Wally's reaction. Saying it aloud, to another person, made it seem more real than ever.

"I don't even know what to say." Wally admitted. "Congratulations?"

Dick snorted behind his hands, feeling a smile creep onto his face. A lopsided, twisted smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Yeah. I guess." He removed his hands and looked at Wally. The two of them had a silent conversation with their eyes as Wally tried to gauge Dick's expression well enough to know what he was supposed to say. Dick was afraid that Wally would resent that Dick's girlfriend just got pregnant with his child – that they were establishing a family – when Wally's own girlfriend had died. He worried that Wally wouldn't think he deserved it, that he still blamed Dick for Artemis' death.

After Artemis and Kaldur had been killed, Wally had blamed Dick entirely. He'd been overcome with rage, but because Dick had been in a coma at the time, he hadn't been able to confront him about it. Once Dick woke up, Wally admitted this to him, admitted that he had blamed him – _hated_ him – for bringing her back into the business and getting her killed in the process. It had broken something in their friendship. They were okay now, but something had never fully healed between them. They weren't really best friends any more. They were friends – but not in the same sense.

"What are you going to do?" Wally eventually asked.

Dick smiled briefly again, remembering Morgan and him asking themselves the exact same question. "We don't know. For now, we'll just keep doing what we've always done. She's on missions and I'm taking care of the Team."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? She's more vulnerable than any of the others now-"

"I _know,_ okay? I know!" Dick clenched a fist and slammed it into the table in front of him, the sound echoing through the empty tower. "But we can't afford to spare a single hero right now. We can't – I can't-.. we have to. There's no other choice." His fist was shaking, and he wished Wally hadn't asked because now all the worries he'd been repressing for weeks suddenly bubbled up with full force. "We know its dangerous, but Morgan won't let me exclude her from missions. She told me we can't afford to be selfish. The world needs all the help it can get."

Wally placed a hand on his shoulder and Dick sighed, wishing the gesture would've actually comforted him. He rose from his seat and Wally dropped the hand as the two heroes faced each other. Dick ran a hand through his hair and he was sure it stuck in all directions with how many times he'd done it in the past hour. He approached the large glass side of the Watchtower, looking at the giant blue planet hovering beneath him. Somewhere down there, his pregnant fiancé was fighting for their continued existence alongside everyone he held dear.

God, how could he stand this? How could anyone?

"Even if she stopped going on missions, what then? If the world burns – if we lose this war – there's no place for our baby to grow up anyway. We have to risk his safety now to try and secure it for when he's born."

"He?" Wally approached him and looked at the endless, starry depths expanding before them.

Dick pressed his lips together and looked back at the computer screen again, wishing the squad would return already. They'd been gone for hours at this point. "They did a blood test three days ago. It's a boy."

Even as the entire thing made him miserable, he couldn't stop the small, genuine smile that appeared at the thought. A baby boy. He was going to father a little boy. He absentmindedly massaged the back of his neck to relieve it of the knots, leaning his head back as the smile grew. He reveled in the small moment of happiness and peace. With closed eyes, he could picture the child already. He'd be a tiny thing in the beginning – most babies were, after all – with black hair like his dad and intelligent grey eyes like his mom. Maybe he would grow wings later in life? Would he have telekinesis? A knack for acrobatics?

Dick's heart swelled briefly at the thought of the small, perfect mesh of their traits and looks. Now that he'd known for three weeks, he had come more to terms with the fact that Morgan was pregnant. He had accepted it – the circumstances surrounding them worried and scared him, not the pregnancy.

"Congratulations, dude." Wally actually sounded almost excited for them as he tried a second time to congratulate him.

Dick looked at his friend, keeping he smile on his face even though it was starting to stiffen. "Thanks, man."

Dick quickly found that, once he'd told Wally, it was much easier to want to tell everyone else. At this point, he just wanted to get it over with. He had briefly considered just announcing it to the entire Team and League during a mission briefing, just to get it over with quick. But Morgan had absolutely refused. She'd threatened to blast him straight through the glass wall of the Watchtower and send him in orbit if he did that.

There really was no right way to tell everyone. And in the end, he did it without realizing.

They were on a mission, in the middle of a battle against a horde of Reach soldiers when Beast Boy had casually asked over the psychic link why Morgan hadn't joined them today.

Dick was busy punching and kicking his way through half a dozen aliens, and so he didn't really consider his answer as he replied.

 _She couldn't make it. She's got an ultrasound screening today and the doctors office was really busy-_

 _WHAT?!_ Connor practically roared over the link. Out of the corner of his eye, Dick saw Wonder Girl miss a punch in pure shock, slipping and falling on her butt. He winched visibly as he realized his mistake.

 _Morgan is pregnant?_

 _Dude, what the hell?_

 _You don't just slip stuff like that into casual mission talk, Dick!_

 _Holy SHIT._

 _Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god-_

The constant stream of their shocked voices all crowded his brain and Dick almost told them to shut up so he could concentrate.

 _Guys, we're in the middle of a fight for our lives. Can we talk about this afterwards?_ He asked them, his face a clenched, concentrated mask.

The team dealt with the aliens faster than usual, perhaps driven by the need to find out what exactly was going on. Once the enemy all lay unconscious and tied up at their feet, ready to be brought to prison cells at a secret location, everyone turned on Nightwing.

"Explain." Lagoon Boy demanded.

Dick found himself smirking slightly. "You don't know about the birds and the bees?" He joked, hoping he could fool them all into thinking everything was cool. "Do I have to explain how it-"

"Dude, you knocked up your girlfriend in the middle of an alien invasion." Robin pointed out, sounding parts disapproving and parts impressed.

"Fiancé." He felt the need to clarify. The other thing sounded so.. irresponsible. "Not girlfriend."

He was fairly sure he couldn't shock them more if he tried. Eyes were bugging it of sockets. Mouths were open.

"Oh my god, oh my god-!" Wonder girl squealed as M'gann offered him a genuine smile and congratulations. Connor studied him with a frown and Dick knew he saw the worry pouring out of him. Superboy was a master at reading people and so Dick didn't bother to hide his fear as he gave the other man a look over Batgirl's shoulder when she hugged him.

He offered everyone a smile that felt strained. "Thanks."

Within the week, everyone that frequented the Watchtower knew. And to be honest Dick found it much easier this way. His biggest relief was that everyone sided with him on not letting Morgan go on any more missions. She took over his job of monitoring missions and briefing everyone. Dick was still the leader of the Team, but now he got to go on just as many missions as the rest of them, which suited him just fine.

Another month passed and a baby bump was starting to show. It terrified and excited the both of them. Morgan complained about how she could not fit in her suit anymore – Dick replied that it was just as well, because it meant her going on missions was an even bigger impossibility now.

They hadn't really spoken about the fact that they were engaged much since that first night. Dick had come home a few days later with a ring, a shiny silver band with a blue gem that fit just right on her finger and she'd worn it ever since, but they hadn't discussed much afterwards. Morgan knew they were both afraid of bringing it up for fear of the other regretting the decision. For now, it was fine just being engaged. But planning a wedding? That was much more final. It was easy to talk about getting married in the middle of a war – but actually going through with it? Not so much.

But one evening, after a thankfully slow day, Morgan had to bring it up. She was burning to know what he thought about marrying now – now that a month and a half had passed since he had proposed, she wondered if he had changed his mind.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Dick's thumb stroking her hip as she lay in his embrace. She'd taken off her t-shirt earlier because it was a bit too tight, leaving her in only her bra and a pair of jeans. He moved his hand further up and grabbed hers, his fingers brushing against the glimmering jewel on her ring finger. They were laying in their bed, both ignoring the dirty dinner dishes they should've been doing.

"Do you still want to marry me?" She asked, breaking the silence surrounding them. Her voice was barely louder than a soft breath, but she knew he'd heard her because his hand stilled.

He was silent for a beat, as if unsure what she meant. "Of course." He replied, sounding calm and not uncertain in the slightest. "Why do you ask?"

"Because we haven't brought it up in six weeks and I was starting to doubt." She admitted.

"I've.. been keeping silent about it because I knew you were unsure." He explained. "I didn't want to pressure you."

She smiled into his t-shirt and let out a small snort. "You're being so considerate it's actually kind of inconsiderate."

Dick laughed quietly and Morgan reveled in the goosebumps the breathy sound gave her. They fell silent again and Morgan could tell he was starting to nod off.

"If we're getting married, we're doing it soon – I want to be able to wear a dress without a huge stomach."

"Okay." He sat up a little straighter, possibly to keep himself awake. "What sort of wedding do you want?"

"I want everyone from the Team there. And I-I just want something small.. Something we can organize quickly, before it's too late."

"Too late?" His voice was stiff. He sounded afraid that she was talking about one of them dying.

"I meant too late as in me being too fat to wear a pretty, white dress." Morgan clarified. "I want to look nice on my wedding day, not like a whale."

Dick wrapped his arm firmly around her and flipped them over so he was hovering above Morgan. His hand traveled down her side, thumb resting on the small hard bump on her stomach. Reaching down, he placed a kiss behind her ear.

"You'll look beautiful on our wedding day," He breathed into her ear and trailed kisses down her neck and chest. Sending her a teasing smirk, he placed a kiss on her stomach, "whale or no whale."

Morgan bit her lip, her skin burning from his touch. She yanked his shirt off and pulled him closer, meeting his lips.

"Where do you want it to be?" Dick asked against her lips. "The church?"

"No. Somewhere open, outside." She breathed as he worked on unbuttoning her pants.

"Mhm. Wayne Manor? The gardens looks beautiful this time of year."

"Good idea." She trailed her hands down his naked torso and pulled on his belt loops, colliding his groin with hers and forcing a low groan from Dick. "Would save the money on renting a place that way."

"We can get Alfred to bake the cake." Dick decided as he worked on unhooking her bra. His lips left messy kisses along her cleavage and Morgan sighed in delight.

"A big one with white glaze and blue flowers." Morgan agreed, shuddering when he hummed his agreement against her exposed breast.

"Who do you want there besides the Team?"

Morgan shrugged as Dick finally started working on pulling her pants off. "I don't have anyone else. Well, my mom. My mom should definitely be there."

She sat up and Dick followed her, giving her full access to his belt buckle, which she quickly undid.

"The Team, your mom.. What about the rest of the League?"

Morgan nodded. "Absolutely. Everyone should be there. But.. Dick, I don't want any masks at my wedding."

"I agree." He found the extra sensitive spot between her shoulder and neck, his teeth scraping over it. Morgan could feel his smirk against her skin when she let out a low moan. He paused in the makings of a new love bite as he spoke again. "If anyone feels uncomfortable not wearing their mask, they don't have to come. But everyone else.."

"I'm tired of the whole secret identity thing between the other heroes. We're in the middle of a war, for god's sake, and people are dying every month. It.. it just seems pointless." Morgan elaborated, hoping he agreed.

Dick sigh and drew back, giving her a sarcastic smile. "You just.. _totally_ ruined the mood. Like ' _Poof!'_ it's gone. Completely."

"You know, I can feel your boner pressing against my thigh so I know that that is, in fact, a lie." Morgan deadpanned.

Dick let out a single laugh. "True." He said before kissing her again.

"Who should actually marry us? Do you have anyone specific in mind?" Morgan decided to ask him something before he could. She didn't want him to think only she got to make the calls.

"Mm, I don't know. I'll research it in the morning." Dick was paying more attention to her exposed skin than her question. "For now.. Let's stop talking about the wedding, at least for the next few hours." He gave her a wicked smirk that made Morgan shiver in anticipation. "I've got other sounds I'd much rather hear from you right now."

"I think I can agree to that." Morgan beckoned him closer and engaged him in a deep kiss, pressing her exposed chest against his front. Her breasts had gotten more sensitive in the past few months because of the pregnancy, but she found that, while it made her tender and sore from time to time, the heightened sensitivity was a huge plus during sex. Even now, though his fingers were only brushing against the sides of her chest, the touch made her shudder and moan with delight.

Just like Dick had requested, they didn't talk about the wedding for the next few hours. In fact, they didn't talk much at all besides breathing the others name or moaning a command. And afterwards, they were spent, too exhausted to bother with further planning. They slept soundly in the others hold for the rest of the night, reveling in these few hours of peace. They could always plan the wedding the next day.

The next day, Lagoon Boy was killed.

It had been a mission by the ocean and La'gaan had gone into the water to scout. A score of soldiers had been waiting for him. An ambush, made specifically to attack and end Lagoon Boy.

Other heroes had died before, but this one was different. This had been planned beforehand. They had gone specifically after a place with water so they knew they could get the Atlantean alone. It scared all of them more than the other deaths had. The Reach was starting to sort through them and pick at the easiest targets. Lagoon Boy had been powerful – but because they had managed to capture him by himself, he hadn't stood a chance. Nobody felt safe. M'gann was crushed. The two of them had been going through a rough spot in their relationship – M'gann was worried that he'd gotten reckless out of frustration because of it, and that it had gotten him killed.

Because of the commotion and tragedy, Dick and Morgan didn't discuss the wedding for a whole week, too busy with grieving and trying to stay alive, keep the Team and League afloat.

But then, after a week, they sat down and planned the entire thing. With the sudden death, the two of them felt the urge to marry even more. They were terrified that one of them would die before they got the chance.

Three weeks later, only a month after they had started planning, the wedding set place.

The gardens of Wayne Manor were in full bloom, pink flowers dotting the apple trees around them. There was a small breeze, nothing too harsh to ruin decorations and hair do's, but enough to keep everyone comfortable cool in the heat of summer. Connor and Wally had rolled out a red carpet from the Manor to the small section of chairs in the clearing of trees. Pillars adorned with white veils and blue roses separated the aisle and the rows of chairs. Birds were singing, the sun shone – it was one of the few sunny days Gotham had that entire summer – and everyone smiled. They smiled because they had to.

Morgan's stomach had grown a lot in the past few weeks, but the dress she wore was loose on her stomach, had a high waist and was made of a lot of flowing cloth that moved and draped behind her as she walked. Dick was sure she'd never looked more beautiful than that day with flowers in her hair and shining silver eyes.

True to their style, the wedding was themed black, white and blue. Everyone from the Team and most of the League was there, along with Morgan's mother, and no one else. Her wings were displayed freely and without a hint of shame on her back, completing her look – she looked like an angel and Dick felt so blessed.

M'gann started crying the second Morgan appeared in the clearing, deeply moved by the way both Dick and Morgan's eyes lit up when they met. Nobody paid her much mind, allowing her to process the recent loss of her boyfriend in privacy. Dick took a step forward, as if he wanted to leave the small podium and meet her halfway down the aisle – which was actually exactly what he had wanted to do – but Wally, his best man, placed a restraining hand on his shoulder to make him stay put.

The display made Morgan smile brighter and let out a small laugh. Her mom was walking her down the aisle and Abigail was weeping openly.

The ceremony was short and tasteful. Morgan blamed the hormones from her pregnancy when she started crying too and Dick laughed as he wiped the tears from her face and sweetly kissed her on the brow.

The party lasted all day and everyone managed to forget about their daily worries. For that one day, there was no alien invasion. There was no Reach and no war. They were just normal people celebrating the union of their two friends.

When it was time for the bride and groom to share their first dance as a couple, M'gann had chosen a cute, but also cheesy, old love song for them to dance to. Morgan grumbled slightly about it and Dick told her to shut up and dance with him. He pulled her close and told her to keep her eyes on him when she worried about everyone staring at them.

The moon and stars were high in the sky when people started to head home. Dick and Morgan were – contrary to tradition – the last to leave. Surrounded by burning candles and soft music, they danced slowly in one another's arms for another hour after everyone had left. Dick blew out all the candles and guided his tired wife from the gardens and to his old room. They'd stayed at the Manor from time to time in the past year and she'd seen it several times before, so they didn't waste much time in finding the bed. He undressed her slowly, take care to caress and kiss every inch of skin that appeared whenever he unbuttoned a new button. They made love all night long, bathed in the golden hue of more candles. It was softer and slower than ever before, both of them determined to squeeze every last drop of happiness out of this day. They both took their sweet time exploring, caressing and loving every part of the others body. It was one of the best nights of Morgan's life, filled with soft eyes and tender kisses. Her body had never been so appreciated and taken care of and for months to come, she could still recall the feeling of complete relaxation and love.

"I love you, Morgan Grayson." Dick whispered against the bare skin of her neck as he drew her closer, his eyes slipping shut as the first golden-red rays of sun announced the arrival of dawn.

"I love you, Richard Grayson." Morgan replied, the soft smile on her face matching the swelling happiness that seized her heart.

"And little Christopher Grayson." Dick smirked as he reached a hand down to caress her swollen stomach.

Morgan rolled her eyes. "I told you I like Nicholas better."

Dick placed a kiss on her neck. "Mhm.. We'll see. We'll see."

* * *

A bitter sweet - but mostly sweet - chapter. Happy Christmas everyone!

I cant wait to start writing the next part of this - we all know what's gonna happen..


	3. Chapter 3

They were back on the watchtower the next day. Neither felt like they could afford a honeymoon, but it was okay. Everyone congratulated them a second time and Morgan felt so satisfied whenever she spotted the silver wedding band on her husband's finger, identical to the one on her own. She floated on a small pink cloud for a week and then the capture of Wonder Girl brought her down again. They worked constantly for a month on getting her back, but the Reach's numbers seemed to grow every day.

Morgan was more than halfway through her pregnancy now and her stomach was starting to show for real. They practically lived at the Watchtower and she took to only wearing big, loose fitting t-shirts in an attempt to get more comfortable. The changes to her body were obvious. She still got nauseous from time to time and her cravings and hormones drove the others insane. The Watchtower was either too hot or too cold and she was always tired.

But she managed. She still had her life and she was grateful for that. Dick broke his arm the same day she hit the sixth month of her pregnancy and she was selfishly grateful because it meant he stayed home with her more often. He was out of the business for only a month, a time he spent on making plans and leading missions from the Watchtower. It was the first time in months that they got to spends so much time together. True, it was at the Watchtower and he usually had some sort of screen in front of his face, but she didn't complain. As long as they were both alive and together, Morgan felt as if she could take on the entire world. They ate lunch and dinner together at the Tower, sitting at a table by the large window, looking out at the stars and dreaming of far off worlds.

Then, even though his arm was not fully healed, he had to go on missions again. They were simply too few people to let one of their best stay home. Black Canary found Morgan in the Watchtower bathroom the same day, breathing heavily and fighting back tears. The older blonde pulled her into her arms and whispered soothing words even as her own heart bled for the loss of Oliver.

Thankfully, no one else had died since the wedding – people were joking that it had been a lucky wedding, protecting everyone that had attended.

After that, time seemed to go much too fast. Morgan's belly had become huge and she was no longer walking – she was _waddling._ Dick looked amused every time she moved, huffing, puffing, and moaning loudly for the baby to come out already. Not that she meant it. She was terrified of the baby actually arriving. It was hard enough, working at the Watchtower and letting Dick go on missions while heavily pregnant..

But when they had a child? It would be torture.

One afternoon, she realized with a start that she would have to go on missions again once the child was old enough. Part of her felt even more terrified, and yet she felt relieved. She felt suffocated at the Watchtower, trying to pretend she was useful when she rarely got to help with anything substantial. She hated standing out as much as she did. Everyone else looked grim and focused in their superhero costumes, and she was wearing _yoga pants._ She hated how there were whispers of how Sparrow got herself knocked by Nightwing, how the heroes that she was the least familiar with sent her weird glances, as if wondering why she was still even here when she was virtually _useless_ to the League at this point.

So part of her relished the thought of getting to help again. A much bigger part realized it meant she'd leave behind her child.

"How long do you think it'll take before I'll be going on missions again?" She asked Dick one afternoon. Somehow, they were alone at the Watchtower. Literally everyone else had been sent on some assignment. These days, the Tower was operating around the clock, always at least a squad or two in action. People left only to sleep and then came back once they had done so. There was no such thing as a day off. No free weekends.

Dick looked at her with a raised eyebrow. His gaze found her protruding stomach as if unable to imagine Morgan ever fitting in her costume again. They were taking a break in the cafeteria, the place far too silent.

"I'd like to say 'never'," he sighed eventually. "But we both know that isn't realistic. I suppose when he's no longer breastfeeding?"

"But that could be an entire year from now." Morgan reminded him. "Besides, he could be bottle fed. They have some fancy milking device for women now."

Dick snorted into his coffee, shooting her an amused look. "I just had the mental image of you hooked onto those milking machines they use for cows."

Morgan grimaced. "I feel like that could become painful. And slightly undignified."

"Anyway," Dick said a moment later, reaching forward to grasp her hand in his, his index finger stroking over the smooth metal of her wedding ring. "Back on track. I suppose you should go when you feel ready again. As long as Christopher is so old it's not a danger to him. Babies are very dependent on their mothers in the beginning."

"I promise I wont leave while _Nicholas_ is still too young. I'm not _itching_ to go back out there and endanger myself, especially when I have a child to care for."

The air suddenly turned far too serious between them as they both remembered that was exactly what Dick was doing.

"I'm sorry." Morgan sighed after a tense moment. "Urgh, me and my stupid mouth."

Dick leaned forward and captured her lips with his. "I like your mouth." He muttered against her lips, quirking one side of his mouth upwards in an easy smile. She wondered often how he could keep smiling when the world around them was falling apart. He said it was because _his_ world was still alive and well.

"You're making me blush." She hid her burning cheeks behind her hands and shot him a small glare. "Cheeseball."

He smiled at her again and looked at the time. "We'd better head out to the computers. Beta squad should be back any moment."

Beta squad did arrive half an hour later, but not without its problems. M'gann had been exposed to fire and had nearly died. Connor and Captain Marvel rushed her to the infirmary and she was out of commission for two weeks. Morgan initially worried, but after a few days, she was just happy she had M'gann to keep her company while the others were away.

She was nearing her nine months now. Several times, she was convinced the time had come. It always proved to just be her nerves playing tricks on her. Every day, Morgan became more and more worried about maybe having to give birth at the Watchtower. She wasn't sure which hospital she could go to – most of them were under the Reach's thumb and would likely pass on the information that they had a hero there, giving birth. Since the Light knew about Morgan's secret identity, it was easy to assume that they'd passed the information to the Reach – she couldn't show her face in public anymore without risking capture.

In the end, when she went into labor, it was, unsurprisingly, at the worst time imaginable. She was largely alone at the Watchtower, managing five different squad missions at the same time. The Reach had initiated a huge attack on any hospital that wasn't cooperating with them in America's biggest cities. It had been an issue for a while now. The Reach believed firmly in 'survival of the fittest' and so had placed very strict guidelines on which sicknesses and injuries the hospitals were allowed to treat. Hereditary, incurable and chronic diseases were considered a weakness that had to be bred out. In the end, they only cared about the meta gene, so if the injured or sick human didn't possess it, they didn't care about that person's continued survival. Some hospitals, out of fear, abided by the rules, but others refused to do so. It was partly why Morgan had been worrying over where she was supposed to give birth. She refused to use a hospital that worked by Reach rules – but the rebelling hospitals were under risk of attack at any given time.

And now, the Reach had decided they wouldn't stand for the disobedience any longer. They were going to force those hospitals to obey, or reduce them to a pile of rubble. So squads had been sent out. Heroes were defending the hospitals. Morgan was monitoring them all, keeping a sharp eye out of approaching Reach soldiers and make sure none of the squads were overwhelmed. After months of looking at Dick and Mal do it, she'd gotten good at this thing.

And then.. there was a throb. At first, Morgan ignored it. she'd been getting contractions for weeks now – it was perfectly normal because her body was preparing for the actual labor. It just meant she was close, not that she was giving birth right now.

But then there was another one, ten minutes later. And then another seven minutes later. And they were getting stronger. Frowning, Morgan got out of her chair and started walking around to get the Braxton Hicks to stop. She'd quickly realized that a bit of exercise did wonders to ease the fake contractions.

Only this time they weren't.. stopping.

"Oh god." She mumbled and sat down again, blinking blankly at the screens in front of her for a long moment.

" _Sparrow?"_ Dick's voice suddenly shook her awake and she pressed a finger to her ear. " _How are the other squads doing?"_

She breathed deeply. "Two secs." She said before bending forward and running a hand through her hair. Closing her eyes for a moment, she forced her head back into the mission at hand. Contractions could go on for hours before the actual baby arrived. She'd be fine. Looking up again, she quickly studied her screens. "Most of them are fine – Be-beta squad looks to be under some pressure, though. If possible, you should send some people to help them out."

" _Alright. We're just finishing up here. We have a few injured – I'll send them back and the rest will meet up with Beta."_

"Good. And Dick?" Morgan was about to tell him that she was in labor, but stopped herself, biting down on her lip.

If he found out, he'd be too distracted in battle. It could endanger him. No – even though Morgan was scared and knew she wanted him to be here more than anything else, she couldn't tell him. For his sake.

" _Yeah_ , _Morgs_?" He sounded distracted, which she was thankful for, because if he'd been paying his full attention to their conversation, he'd have noticed that something in her voice was off.

".. nothing. Just.. be careful."

" _We_ _will. I'll see you soon."_ He immediately replied. " _I love you."_

"I love you too," she said, just as a new contraction hit her. She hoped he hadn't heard her hitch in breath.

Twenty minutes later, Batgirl, Captain Atom and Beast Boy arrived, looking like they'd been bench-pressed by one of the Beetles. They headed for the infirmary immediately, Batgirl and the Captain having to support Garfield. Morgan only shared a few words with them before focusing on the screens again.

An hour passed. The contractions were getting worse. She kept clenching her teeth to keep from gasping out-loud at the painful throbs. At some point, Captain Atom came out from the infirmary, already looking much better. He approached her and asked for a status report.

"The squads are doing remarkably well. No casualties on either side so far. Epsilon squad is almost done as well." She said.

He looked pleased. "A bit of luck at last."

"Yes exac–" she hissed out and bend forward a bit, squeezing her eyes shut and waiting for the newest, painful contraction to subside. "Ow."

"Morgan, are you alright?" the Captain sounded more confused than worried and Morgan mentally steeled herself as she prepared to spill the beans.

"I'm fine – I just might.. be in labor?"

"Wait, for real?" He took a step back, looking surprised.

"Yes, I – arh, holy shit it aches – I've been in labor for over an hour, maybe an hour and a half, now, I think. But there hasn't been much progress," She added the last part when he looked about ready to scream. "So don't worry. These things can take hours."

" _Why on earth haven't you told anyone!"_ He demanded. Morgan winched and leaned away from his shouting.

"I'm monitoring this mission. It's not a big deal – it's not like the baby is coming out _right now._ Some people have steady contractions for _days_ before anything happens."

"I want you in the infirmary. Batgirl will take over."

Morgan mentally pictured Barbara as she'd entered the Watchtower an hour earlier. She had looked out of it, the large bruise and nasty cut on the side of her head speaking of a harsh blow. She hadn't looked ready to monitor four missions as the same time.

"Batgirl needs to rest – she was injured." She protested, grabbing hold of the armrests of her chair as if afraid the Captain would attempt to force her out. "I told you nothing is happening right now, and I can handle it. A lot of people are counting on me to monitor the situation right now. It's better that I see this through than letting someone new take over when they can't be entirely sure what's been going on. Captain – right now, I have a task to see through." She must've spoken with conviction, because the other hero looked resigned.

Captain Atom was clearly very uncomfortable with the situation, but he didn't protest, thankfully. He sighed, his face drawn. "Alright. I have to see to Beast Boy. Morgan, if the situation develops, you have to promise to let someone else take over. Ask someone to come back to the Tower if necessary."

"Captain, I'm _fine!"_ She snapped just as another contraction hit her, this one more powerful than the others.

He studied her as she squeezed her eyes shut and breathed harshly through her nose. Once the contraction was over and Morgan relaxed, he turned and left.

Another hour passed by. Captain Atom checked on her every fifteen minutes, but Morgan stubbornly ignored him. One other squad had arrived ten minutes ago, but she pretended she wasn't in labor so no one would try to force her away from her screens. She found it was easier to focus on the missions instead of trying to deal with the fact that she was in labor.

M'gann and Rocket were standing off to the side of the room, discussing the mission they'd just been on. Morgan was clenching her jaw, sitting silently and trying not to bring attention onto herself. If they found out, they and Captain Atom would gang up on her and take her to the infirmary.

A sudden, particularly painful contraction hit her and Morgan cried out in surprise before she could stop herself.

The two women paused their conversation and approached her. "Morgan, you okay?"

"I'm fine M'gann.. just – GAH!" Crying out again, she placed a hand on her stomach. "C'mon little guy, please just wait for a bit. Wait for daddy to come home."

The baby either didn't hear or didn't care, because another contraction hit her, making Morgan throw her head back against the backrest of the chair, whimpering slightly. She felt sweat break out on her brow as her breathing grew labored.

"Oh my _gawd_ , she'd giving birth." Raquel realized. "M'gann, she's giving birth!"

About to insist that it wasn't a big deal, Morgan felt liquid pool between her legs, soaking her pants.

" _She just peed herself!"_ Raquel seemed more freaked at Morgan in labor than Morgan was.

"I _didn't._ " Morgan groaned between huffy breaths. "My.. water just broke."

"But that means it's soon, right?" M'gann shuffled closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It means it's really coming now, doesn't it?"

"No – I'm not sure. It's not even like every woman's water breaks, far from it actually. I'm fine, I need to stay here and monitor-" Morgan clenched her teeth and hissed out a harsh breath.

And, just her luck, the Captain came back from the infirmary. He saw the strained look on her face and the two women hovering over her. "Morgan." He said seriously. "Infirmary. Now."

"No!" She shouted, her voice actually breaking with the force of her shout. "I'm FINE! Just leave me alone and let me do this!"

"Morgan, you a literally about to give birth." M'gann said seriously. "Why won't you go to the infirmary? It'll be so much more comfortable – we can easily take over – "

"Because I'm _not ready!"_ She finally admitted, turning towards M'gann with lightning in her eyes. "I'm not ready to have this child!"

"Well, it's gonna come out whether you're ready or not!" Captain Atom protested. "Morgan, don't be stupid and don't endanger both of you because of fear!"

"But.." She deflated and felt her bottom lip wobble as her eyes grew wet. "He's not here."

The others froze, their faces falling into looks of sympathy.

Morgan took turn looking at all three of them. "Dick's not here. He.. _has_ to be here."

M'gann bit into her lip and hesitated for a short moment before taking a step forward to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "Morgan.." she sighed.

A new contraction hit her. "Holy mother of-!"

"We need to get you to the infirmary – now." Captain Atom took charge.

Morgan sighed and closed her eyes, searching for inner calm. She could do this – giving birth was the same thing whether Dick was there or not. The baby wasn't going to wait for him. The pain would ultimately be the same.

"Alright." She swallowed and nodded before slowly getting out of her chair. M'gann kept an arm around her shoulder and supported her as they slowly walked for the infirmary. Raquel shuffled slowly behind the three of them, but the Captain halted her steps.

"Rocket, you need to stay and monitor the squads."

Rocked looked relieved that she wasn't going to be at the birth after all.

Morgan turned and met her eyes. "Please don't tell anyone. If Dick finds out, he wont be able to concentrate. As long as he's on a mission, he can't know."

Rocket pressed her lips together. "Okay," she eventually agreed.

M'gann tightened her hold on Morgan as another contraction hit and they quickly swept her off to the infirmary. They placed her on a cot quickly and M'gann disappeared in search of a hospital gown she could use. Ten minutes later, her clothes lay in a pile beside her and Morgan was wearing the blue gown as Captain Atom finished booting up the machine beside her. An x-ray picture of the baby inside her appeared, and Morgan found she was actually glad she was giving birth at the Tower. Their tech was more sophisticated than what they had at a normal hospital. He placed electrodes on her stomach and the small, steady beeping of her baby's heartbeat came from the machines.

Batgirl was resting on the cot opposite her, but at the sound of Morgan's strained groaning, she stirred to life. Beast Boy was unconscious on the cot beside Batgirl's, the boy still under influence of sedative Captain Atom had given him. Barbara got off her cot slowly, looking at Morgan with wide eyes.

"Are you giving birth?" She sounded slightly out of it still, the blow to her head probably having given her a concussion.

"Why does everyone keep asking me tha-aaaaargh!"

Barbara quickly got up and approached her, standing beside M'gann on the opposite side of Captain Atom.

"Are you going to deliver here?"

"Considering the mission you just got back from, I can't imagine why you'd be surprised." Morgan groaned.

Barbara considered this and then agreed.

"Morgan, it's going to take some time before you're actually ready to push." The Captain explained calmly. Morgan wondered if this was his first time helping to deliver a baby. "For now, relax and wait. The contractions might be painful, but once you're ready, pushing the baby out will hopefully not take long."

"Got it." She nodded and lay back, closing her eyes and thinking calming thoughts.

She could do this. It was just a baby, right? Millions of women had done this before her. It was no big deal.

* * *

A missile flew overhead and Dick ducked quickly. He could feel his hair stir with the wind as it zipped past him, hitting the building behind him. Black Canary let out a shriek and the shockwave made the small Reach aircraft above them malfunction and plummet to the ground. The ship burst into fire, but not before a dozen Reach soldiers emerged. They began firing at the heroes, who ducked for cover.

"Nightwing!" Black Canary called. He turned to face her. "This hospital is beyond salvaging! We have to – Argh!" her arm was hit by a shot and Black Canary drew back, clutching it to her stomach. "We have to leave before we're overrun!"

Nightwing pressed his lips together, a bitter taste of failure in his mouth. He hated having to abandon an unfinished mission. A second missile flew past his hideout, hitting its mark and reducing another section of the hospital to a burning pile of rubble. She was right – the hospital was little more than a few standing walls at this point. The rest was knocked down or on fire.

He pressed a finger to his ear. "Squad – we're retreating. Get to the bio ship, all of you."

" _As long as they keep firing at us, we can't move_." Robin protested. Nightwing couldn't see him anywhere, but knew the boy was hiding in the rubble same as them. " _Their volleys are too dense_."

"I'll provide cover." Black Canary said, letting go of the arm she'd been holding, getting onto her knees.

Dick gave her a tense nod. "As soon as the others are out of the fire, I want you to run."

Dinah smirked at him. "Don't order me around kid. Now _go!"_

She got to her feet in an instant and directed a piercing scream at their enemy. The Reach soldiers ceased their attack, clutching their heads.

Several heroes emerged from behind the rubble and began running towards the camouflaged bioship.

Once everyone was inside, Dick stopped in the opening, turning to spot Dinah.

"Dammit!" He bit out when she was where he'd left her instead of on her way to the ship as she should've been. "Buckle up everyone, this'll be a bumpy ride." He took the controls and sped towards Black Canary, aiming a volley after the Reach soldiers. Hovering between Black Canary and the soldiers, he grit his teeth when she was hit by another shot, this time in her shoulder. With a surprised shout, she fell to the ground.

"Superboy! Get her!" Connor was already out of his seat and he jumped to the ground quickly, picking up their fallen comrade. Robin and Wally waited at the latch to help the woman on board, and soon everyone was safe inside the bioship. Dinah was hovering between consciousness and blacking out as Wally strapped her in. Dick quickly sped off, camouflaging the ship. They flew straight up, heading for the Watchtower as fast as they could.

"How is she?" Dick asked a few minutes later. They were well on their way to the watchtower and Dinah had blacked out a moment before. Dick cursed at their rotten luck.

Connor, sitting beside her, gave Black Canary's blackened and bleeding shoulder a critical look. "She'll need medical attention for sure. We'd better hurry."

They arrived at the Tower a moment later, docking as fast as they could. Nightwing got out of his chair immediately and helped Robin unstrap her again. Superboy picked her up and the two of them ran for the infirmary, Dick leading the way so he could prepare a cot for her. He ran into the infirmary, his mind barely registering that Beast Boy was in the cot beside the one he was flinging the covers off. Superboy gently put Dinah down and the two hastily got her out of her jacket so they could assess her wounds.

A loud cry demanded Dick's attention just as he made to run for bandages and disinfectant while Connor added pressure to the wound to stop it from bleeding. Halting in his tracks so fast Dick almost stumbled, he froze and looked at the other side of the room.

".." his jaw unhinged as he saw Morgan, looking in pain and drenched in sweat as she cried out again. Captain Atom encouraged her to push again and M'gann stroked her hair carefully. Barbara looked at him, giving him a small nod.

Morgan was giving birth.

His brain short-circuited and he forgot all about bandages.

"Nightwing!" Connor called, also shooting a look at the struggling female behind them. "The bandages!"

"Right," he breathed, shaking his head and jogging towards the cupboards. He found what he needed and walked back, his eyes not leaving Morgan as she cried out again. He felt his knees quake slightly and he almost stumbled again as she handed Connor the bandages.

 _Holy shit, Morgan was giving birth._

"I've got this." Connor said gruffly before flicking his head towards her. "Go."

Dick nodded, wetting his bottom lip as he slowly approached the scene, feeling so many emotions seize his heart. He wasn't sure which one to focus on, so he ended up feeling a strange mesh of terror, hope, happiness and anxiety.

"Dick!" Morgan smiled through her pain, holding out a hand for him to take. She looked relieved to see him and he quickly laced his fingers with hers and kissed her hand.

"Oh my god, I almost missed it." He breathed. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." She said through gritted teeth. "You're here now, that's what matters."

He let go of her hand to take off his gloves and mask. Once another contraction hit, he quickly offered his hand again, winching as she groaned and gasped through her labored breathing. She squeezed his hand so tight it hurt, but Dick ignored the pain, knowing she was experiencing far worse.

"Just a bit more, Morgan." Captain Atom assured her. "The head is almost out."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "I – am – never – having – sex – with –you – again!" Morgan groaned as she pushed again, her entire body tensing. She let out a strained sound and Dick kissed her on her forehead, wiping away curls.

"Whatever you say, love." He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and he forced himself to keep his eyes on her face, not sure he wanted to know what was going on down there. Morgan threw her head back and cried out again and M'gann gently shushed her, promising it would be okay.

"It'll be over before you know it, Morgan." Barbara promised.

"You can do it." Dick said, leaning closer so she would look at him instead of the ceiling.

"Easy – _urgh_ – for YOU to say!" She bit out. "This is _so_ unfair, all you had to contribute was an orgasm!"

Dick cleared this throat awkwardly as Barbara and M'gann shared an amused look. Captain Atom looked blankly up at Morgan for a moment before focusing on the baby again.

"You're gonna have to take that one up with Mother Nature." Dick squashed down the instinct to apologize. He hoped his light tone and attempt at humor would make her more comfortable. If he started to sound as scared as he felt, she'd surely feel worse.

Morgan let out a small huff and a chuckle, breathing heavily now that she was between contractions. "You're on diaper duty forever."

As long as she was still in pain from giving birth to _his_ child, Dick was sure he was willing to go along with all her requests, so he simply nodded. "Of course. It's only fair."

Barbara sent him an amused look and he grimaced back at her. He wondered if they could all see he was slightly terrified. He hadn't been prepared for this at all. He'd been on a mission for hours and had been so focused on getting Black Canary treated – his mind had been somewhere else completely. Morgan delivering their baby had come out of nowhere. And no one had told him anything.

"How long has this been going on?" He asked Barbara quietly a moment later.

"Her first proper contractions hit a few hours ago."

" _What!"_ He looked between Morgan and the others, not sure if he should feel betrayed or not. "Why haven't anyone told me! I would've been here as fast as I could!"

"And that's _exactly_ why we didn't tell you." Barbara spoke over another loud, struggling groan from Morgan. "She didn't want you to be distracted."

"I'm _right here!"_ Morgan shouted, making all of them take a small step back in surprise. "Stop talking for _-"_ she was interrupted by another contraction and she let out another cry. "Oh god, I can't. I can't do it. It _hurts._ "

Dick was surprised to see tears slipping down her face and he wasn't sure whether it was from pain or fear. He felt his heart clench with sympathy. Morgan rarely chickened out and he knew she had to be in a lot of pain for her tone to grow so desperate.

"You can do it." He promised, kissing her temple and caressing her cheek. "You're already doing great." She gasped and continued crying. He tried another tactic. "Remember that bomb in New York? And you had to support an entire building with your telekinesis?"

Morgan nodded. "Yeah, and you had to defuse the bomb inside while I held it up."

"Yes – you didn't think you could do that either." He pointed out. "But you did it. Because you're strong. And you can do this too. Just _push."_

She breathed deeply and nodded again. "Okay.. I – I'll try. It's just a baby right? Raising him will be the hard part!"

Dick chuckled once. "You're certainly right about that. But we can do that too – and this time, I'll be able to do more than moral support."

Morgan laughed breathlessly. "You better!"

"Morgan, one last push and I think you've got it!" Captain Atom sounded very relieved. Dick supposed this wasn't exactly pleasant for him either. He was pretty sure, despite the Captain's medical knowledge, helping a woman deliver a baby hadn't been high on the list of things he wanted to do.

"Ok, the head is out, Morgan. The worst is over!" Captain Atom said a moment later. Dick was tempted to go and see, but he stayed put as Morgan squeezed his hand tighter. She needed him to stay there.

One last strained push and it was over. Morgan fell back into the bed and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. Barbara handed Captain Atom a towel just as sharp, childish crying pierced the air. Both Dick and Morgan froze, meeting each other's eyes before slowly looking towards the foot of the bed.

He was still covered in blood and goo, but the baby was absolutely perfect. Captain Atom motioned for Dick to come over. "You have to cut the umbilical cord."

"Right." He squeezed Morgan's hand one last time before letting go, feeling like he was in a trance as he approached the tiny thing. Only a moment later, Morgan was handed the boy, swaddled in a white blanket, and he finally stopped crying.

"I did it!" she breathed out a laugh, looking at her son as he rested on her chest.

Dick smiled at both of them. "You did it."

At some point, the others slipped away, though Dick and Morgan hardly noticed. All their attention was on the little miracle they'd created, whose future was yet so uncertain. After feeding him for the first time, Morgan handed him over to Dick and he cradled his son in his arms. Baby Grayson was already asleep, his little hands curled together beside his sleeping face, and Dick felt love swell in his heart. More than ever before, he was overcome with the drive to push the Reach away from their planet. He needed to save the world for his son and wife. For his young family.

* * *

I learned more about labor than I cared to know, writing this. Still, I let out the most gory details, so you should be grateful.

~stay tuned for next time when I plan to emotionally cripple all of us~


End file.
